Peer through the Arcane Eye.

It's a strange sensation every time, and it doesn't help that since Alice ended up coming with you on this trip, your communication is still lacking. If she remained behind and you took the ear, you'd have been able to utilize her as an in-between to speak on your behalf, though if you did do that, you'd never have known to peer through the eye to begin with, so this was the much safer option. Still, you can hear, and you can move as your tiny eyeball body flutters inside of somebody's pocket.

"Aha, wh-what is that? That tickles!" comes the voice of Taiga as you peer up towards the light and escape. "Oh. It's you, Demon King. You received our message promptly."

You seem to be just outside of the inner castle gates adjacent to Taiga, Mipa, Thomas, and Raleza the succubus. Not far away is Nyllia's very own one-horned blue-skinned oni companion Zazra, and you imagine the rest are near enough. Though who sticks out most of all are three figures tied up by rope, one a human girl, one a catfolk boy, and the other an ALICE. Clearly, some sort of combat encounter broke out here not long ago, but your defense team managed to apprehend these three individuals. Taiga gives a noble salute, while the small soldier beside her, Mipa, dances in a less dignified manner to mock those she bested.

"They haven't said much yet," Thomas speaks up. "But they were sneaking around not long ago."

With a lick of her lips, Raleza curls her fingers around the human girl's shoulders and pulls her back behind the other two. "I can get her to talk. I promise."

"Hold on one moment," Taiga cuts her off. "Let's hear from the Demon King."

Tom clears his throat. "We can't. Remember?"

For a moment, the bee lights up red, but her ability to play such a thing off to quickly is impressive. "Indeed," she says in an attempt to save face. "And that's precisely why we should do what we believe is the right thing to do."

"You know, he can still nod and stuff, so we can just ask simple questions."

As they converse, you peer behind them to see the human girl has been left mostly along. Ahead of her are the other two trapped, and even Raleza has stepped away to cross her arms impatiently. The captive looks to her side, and she seems suddenly panicked. You find out soon why, as a pale purple blob makes its way closer and closer.

"I think it's pretty obvious they're spies," comes the sudden voice of Koblix as he walks into the scene. "Three of them. One is a... what are they called? Like Alice. So, she must have been sent by Elok Daven to maybe see what we were doing while you were gone. Could have thought we'd all leave. Maybe they're all working together."

Zazra, still a distance away, replies as she whips her head around. "I'm not so sure. They didn't act much like a team. If anything, they spoke pretty hostile towards each other a few times. I overheard it."

"We should ask--" Taiga begins to speak next, though she's cut off by a sudden scream behind them.

"Aaahh~!" comes the panicked voice of the human girl who they see is covered in slime. She quivers in place as the viscous substance makes its way into every opening of her outfit. It seeps into her pants, up her shirt, down her socks, and she can't do much with her body bound by rope. Soon her own sounds are muffled as it crawls over her mouth. She squirms and moans even if those around her can hardly hear all while Jelly goes on an adventure of her own--an adventure for food. Slurp slurp.

"Enough please, Jelly!" Taiga commands. "We were still deciding a course of action."

As the slime slowly runs down her body, the human girl's mouth is exposed as she lets out a final moan. Panting, she looks to the others. "I'll talk! I'll talk! I w-was sent as a spy on behalf of the beautiful Lady Vex. Honestly. I'm telling the truth. Just let me go!"

The catfolk fellow groans and peers up sweating. "And... I'll talk as well," he mumbles.

Mipa peers confused with a hand on his chin, pulling it up so she can look into his eyes--thankfully sitting so she can be at his level. "That was easy."

"Too easy," Taiga adds.

Raleza nods and explains with a finger in the hair, suddenly manifesting the energy of a college professor. "You know how when a guy gets a boner, but it's stuck pointed down in his underwear and it kinda hurts until he can readjust himself and kinda pop it free? It looks to me he got kinda worked up watching everything here."

"It's true!" the man sobs. "Let me fix it, and I'll tell you everything! I was sent by the intelligent William Cresswell, I swear it."

"You told us anyway," Taiga says quietly--confused and exhausted.

In that moment, without even communicating anything to your allies yet, you close that eye and open your other, peering straight at the two Demon Kings standing before you. They look at one another, and then back to you. After a long pause, you open your mouth to speak.

"Did you all seriously send a spy?!" you shout.

Yet another moment of silence occurs until Vex speaks up. "Perhaps..."

"To be honest," William says. "I'm surprised you didn't do the same. While we aren't all enemies per se, I wouldn't say we're allies either."

You cross your arms. "But Vex, you and I--"

"It was a spy, not an assassin! Get over it!" she barks back.

What a pain in the ass it is being called Demon King. It's true that spies aren't exactly harmful, and maybe they didn't trust me fully, but I swear I'll get them back for this one. It feels a little violating. Maybe I really should spy on them too, but I don't even know how the hell to get to William.

Suddenly, you hear an altercation back through the link with your eye.